The Boston Red Sox already are dealing with injuries in the starting rotation.
Spring Training just recently kicked off and Boston already isn’t at full strength. Spring Training games started this past weekend but three starters aren’t fully up to speed right now. Kutter Crawford is dealing with a knee injury and it already has been shared that he may not be ready for Opening Day.
Neither Brayan Bello nor Lucas Giolito have been ruled out for Opening Day by any means, but both are in different places right now. Bello has dealt with shoulder soreness. Giolito is alright, but missed the 2024 campaign and has been moved along slowly to get him back on track.
As of right now, the only person who seems like he may not be ready for Opening Day is Crawford but anything could happen. If the Red Sox’s rotation isn’t able to get healthy, it could make some sense to consider former St. Louis Cardinals starter Kyle Gibson in free agency.
He made $13 million last year but still is available so he likely wouldn’t cost much. Gibson has been known as an innings eater throughout his career and he pitched 169 2/3 innings while logging a 4.24 ERA. He hasn’t pitched below 167 innings in a season since 2019 — not including the shortened 2020 campaign.
Gibson is a 12-year big league veteran who at the very least could help secure the back end of the rotation. A move isn’t necessary yet, but the next few days will be important to see updates on Crawford, Bello, and Giolito.
